Ohlone Land Acknowledgement

We would like to formally acknowledge the people and land of the Ohlone.

A Land Acknowledgment is a formal statement that recognizes the history and legacy of colonialism that impacted Indigenous Peoples, their traditional territories, and practices.

Acknowledgment is a simple, powerful way of showing respect and a step toward correcting the stories and practices that erase Indigenous people’s history and culture and toward inviting and honoring the truth.

The ability to gather, learn, and establish our presence as an institution of higher education came at a great expense of the original inhabitants of this land, the Ohlone.

We would like to acknowledge that Holy Names University sits on the traditional lands of the Ohlone People, and pay respect to elders both past and present.

The mission of HNU is to empower a diverse student body for leadership and service, guided by the core values of the Sisters. These Core values include Dedication to Justice, Service to People Who are Poor or Marginalized, and Commitment to Liberating Action. It is important to reflect on these commitments in relation to the very location of HNU: Our location in Oakland, CA, with all of its rich diversity and stark disparities, and our campus itself being located on the land first inhabited by the Ohlone people.

Long before Holy Names University was here on this hill, and even before the Sisters came to California, this area was home to the Ohlone. The Ohlone still have a presence today, in Oakland and throughout the Bay Area.

The present-day Ohlone are comprised of all of the known surviving American Indian lineages aboriginal to the San Francisco Bay region who trace their ancestry through the Missions Dolores, Santa Clara, and San Jose; and who were also members of the historic Federally Recognized Verona Band of Alameda County. The aboriginal homeland of the Ohlone includes the counties of San Francisco, San Mateo, most of Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, and portions of Napa, Santa Cruz, Solano, and San Joaquin.

Let us acknowledge with respect and reverence for the Ohlone People, who have stewarded this land throughout the generations, while not forgetting the colonization of this land.